The present invention relates to a flexible container for storing, mainly, materials such as fine particles in a manner so as to enable a conveyance of them.
In general, a bag-like, flexible container is used for storing a required amount of fine particles and carrying the same to plant facilities which produce final products from intermediates of fine particles such as chemicals and synthetic resins.
The flexible container includes a flexible storing bag comprising a storing portion; a foldable, cylindrical, injecting portion extending to a given length from the top of the storing portion and having a mouth opening to outside; and a foldable, cylindrical, discharging portion extending to a given length from the bottom of the storing portion and having a mouth opening to outside. The cylindrical injecting portion and the cylindrical discharging portion each have an open/close portion composed of a string to interrupt a communication between the storing portion and the outside.
In use of the flexible container, the cylindrical discharging portion is tied with its related string to interrupt the communication between the storing portion and the outside before the material is injected into the storing portion from the cylindrical injecting portion. After the storing portion is filled with the material, the cylindrical injecting portion is tied with its related string to interrupt the communication between the storing portion and the outside. When the material filled in the flexible container is used in the plant, the flexible container is lifted up to inject the fine particles from the cylindrical discharging portion into a material injecting aperture in the plant facilities.
In this conventional type of flexible container, the cylindrical discharging portion is so designed as to be tied with the string to interrupt the communication between the storing portion and the outside. Also, the cylindrical discharging portion is provided, at a root portion thereof, with a cover portion for covering the as-strung cylindrical discharging portion in a folded state, in order to keep the cylindrical discharging portion out of the conveyance way.
The cover portion is made of a material having flexibility, as is the case with the storing portion and the cylindrical discharging portion, and is constructed as follows. Pleats are formed around a root portion of the cylindrical discharging portion and also string inserting openings are provided at the ends of the pleats, respectively. A string is drawn through the string inserting openings to be wrung, so as to purse the cylindrical discharging portion, thereby covering the as-folded cylindrical discharging portion with the cover portion.
However, since the flexible container thus constructed has at its bottom the cylindrical discharging portion, the cover portion, made of the flexible material, for covering the cylindrical discharging portion is liable to damage during the conveyance. Thus, the conventional type of flexible container has a drawback in durability.
Also, since the flexible container is composed of the flexible storing bag, when the containers filled with the material are piled in consideration of storage space, poor stability is provided, so there is limitation on the number of containers laying one upon another.
In addition, since the cylindrical discharging portion of the flexible container is usually formed of the flexible material, when the content in the container is discharged from the cylindrical discharging portion as is opened, motion of the cylindrical discharging portion is produced and, as a result of this, the easy-to-scatter content, such as fine particles, scatters easily from the mouth of the cylindrical discharging portion. Thus, the conventional type of flexible container has a problem in working atmosphere.
To eliminate this problem, there may be the way of fixedly mounting the cylindrical discharging portion to a counterpart discharging opening by use of a band, a flange member or equivalent. But, since the conventional type of flexible container is put in a suspended state when the content is discharged, the cylindrical discharging portion varies in shape and thus twists from the start of discharging the content until the stop of the discharge. To avoid the twist being formed in the cylindrical discharging portion, the suspending state of the flexible container must be adjusted. If the amount of suspending is too much, a force larger than required is exerted on the cylindrical discharging portion, so that the breakage of the mounting portion of the cylindrical discharging portion or the disengagement of the band or equivalent therefrom may be caused.
In consideration of these drawbacks involved in the prior art, the present invention has been made. It is the object of the present invention to provide a flexible container excellent in durability and stability for storage and capable to prevent the content from scattering when the content in the flexible container is discharged.
To accomplish the abovesaid object, according to the present invention as set forth in claim 1 provides a novel flexible container comprising a flexible storing bag comprising a storing portion; a foldable, cylindrical, injecting portion extending to a given length from a top of the storing portion and having a mouth opening to outside; and a foldable, cylindrical, discharging portion extending to a given length from a bottom of the storing portion and having a mouth opening to outside, the cylindrical injecting portion and the cylindrical discharging portion each having an open/close portion for interrupting a communication between the storing portion and the outside, wherein a frame for fixedly supporting the storing bag is provided around the storing bag, so that the storing portion is accommodated in the frame, and the cylindrical injecting portion provided at the top of the storing portion is extendable to a given length from a top of the frame to open to outside, while also the cylindrical discharging portion provided at the bottom of the storing portion is extendable to a given length from a bottom of the frame to open to outside; wherein a folded portion is formed around the outside of the storing bag at a portion thereof near a root portion of the cylindrical discharging portion of the storing bag placed in the frame, and a flange having a pair of ring-like fixing portions to fixedly hold the folded portion in sandwich relation therebetween and a cylindrical portion projecting from an inner periphery of one of the fixing portions is mounted to the folded portion, so that the cylindrical discharging portion is surrounded by the folded portion and the flange within the frame, to form an accommodating portion for accommodating therein the cylindrical discharging portion as folded; and wherein a lid is detachably provided at an opening of the cylindrical portion at its projecting side, so that when the cylindrical discharging portion is folded into the accommodating portion, the accommodating portion is closed with the lid, while on the other hand, when the cylindrical discharging portion is extended, the lid is removed to render the accommodating portion to open to outside.
As defined in claim 2, since the storing portion of the storing bag is received in and supported by the frame, the protrusion of the storing portion of the present invention of claim 1 can be prevented by the frame. Therefore, improved stability at the time of storage and conveyance can be achieved, as compared with the conventional type of flexible container. Further, since the cylindrical discharging portion can be folded to be received in the interior of the frame, conveyance can be facilitated and also the number of flexible containers to be piled can be increased, thus providing the result that even limited storage space can be used to store a lot of flexible containers with high stability. Furthermore, since the accommodating portion is composed of the flange, improved durability is achieved. In addition, since the flexible container can be put into storage, with the cylindrical discharging portion accommodated in the accommodating portion composed of the flange, the cylindrical discharging portion can be protected against the damage at the time of storage. Also, since the storing bag is in the frame at the time of storage, the storing bag can also be protected from the damage. Moreover, since the cylindrical discharging portion is extended to discharge the content therefrom in the state of the storing bag being fixedly supported within the frame, the cylindrical discharging portion and the storing portion can be always kept at the same levels while the content is discharged from the cylindrical discharging portion. Thus, the cylindrical discharging portion can be prevented from being drawn upwards while the content is discharged. As a result of this, the cylindrical discharging portion can be prevented from being strained, thus providing the advantages that the cylindrical discharging portion is protected against the damage and the scattering of the discharged material is prevented.
Also, according claim 3, the present invention as set forth in any of claims 1 or 2, a folded portion is formed around an outside of the cylindrical discharging portion at an end portion thereof near the mouth of the cylindrical discharging portion, and a flange is mounted to the folded portion.
With this construction, the folded portion can be connected to a material injecting opening in the plant facilities, thus providing the advantage of enabling the content in the storing bag to be fed in without scattering.
Further, according to the present invention, the cylindrical injecting portion may be surrounded in the frame by a folded portion formed around the outside of the storing bag at a portion thereof near a root portion of the cylindrical injecting portion of the storing bag placed in the frame and a flange having a pair of ring-like fixing portions mounted to the folded portion to fixedly hold the folded portion in sandwich relation therebetween and a cylindrical portion projecting from an inner periphery of one of the fixing portions, to form an accommodating portion for accommodating therein the cylindrical injecting portion as folded, and a lid may be detachably provided at an opening of the cylindrical portion at its projecting side.
With this construction, since the accommodating portion is composed of the flange, improved durability is achieved. In addition, since the flexible container can be put into storage, with the cylindrical injecting portion accommodated in the accommodating portion composed of the flange, the cylindrical injecting portion can also be protected against the damage at the time of storage. In addition, since the storing bag is in the frame at the time of storage, the storing bag can also be protected from the damage.